FBLA & Farming

FFA and FBLA—two of the most prominent student organizations in the state of Oregon and in the country, with FFAmembership topping 579,678 on the national scale, and FBLAmembership surpassing 250,000 nationwide. But the question is . . . why should you give a hoot about these statistics anyway?

For one, I am a proud FBLA member, and there are many members who are in both FFA and FBLA. Two, working on a farm has changed my life for the better by facilitating leadership skills and allowing me to better understand the agricultural side of things in the world around me.

During my time spent on the farm, I learned how to work hard throughout the year for every dollar earned. This taught me maturity, as well as a good work ethic, and it gave me a sense of confidence and pride, which drastically improved my life. The skills that I learned out in the field (pun intended), I applied to FBLA. I used these skills in some of my events that I competed in at SBLC this past year. One event that I really enjoyed was Agribusiness. This event was enjoyable and challenging at the same time, because it required math skills as well as comprehension skills. However, the knowledge I gained out on the farm made this event a little less challenging, because I could comprehend the questions better, thus making it more fun and enjoyable.

To sum up my experience on the farm and how it can benefit me in my life and in FBLA, I refer to the FFA Creed which says, “Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.” This Creed is important to me because it correlates what I have learned and how I can apply that knowledge in the future in order to live and serve in all areas of my life.